Crane that can lift up to 1,000 tons to help clear bridge wreckage

THE largest crane on the US east coast is being transported to Baltimore so crews can begin removing the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge.

The wreckage has halted a search for four workers missing days after the disaster and blocked the city’s port from operating.

Maryland Governor Wes Moore said the crane, which was arriving by barge and can lift up to 1,000 tons, will be one of at least two used to clear the channel of the twisted metal and concrete remains of the bridge and the cargo ship Dali, which hit it on Tuesday.

“The best minds in the world” are working on the plans for removal, he said.

“This is not just about Maryland,” Mr Moore said. “This is about the nation’s economy. The port handles more cars and more farm equipment than any other port in America.”

He warned of a long road to recovery but said he was grateful to President Joe Biden’s administration for approving $60m (£47.5m) in immediate aid. The president said federal government will pay the full cost of rebuilding the bridge.

“This work is not going to take hours. This work is not going to take days. This work is not going to take weeks,” Mr Moore said. “We have a very long road ahead of us.”

At least eight people initially went into the water when the ship struck the bridge column. Two of them were rescued on Tuesday.

Divers recovered the bodies of two men from a pick-up truck in the Patapsco River on Wednesday, but officials said they have to start clearing the wreckage before anyone can reach the bodies of four other missing workers.

State police have said that based on sonar scans, their vehicles appear to be encased in a “superstructure” of concrete and other debris.

The victims, who were part of a construction crew fixing potholes on the bridge, were from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador.

Of the 21 crew members on the ship, 20 are from India. One was slightly injured.

Federal and state officials have said the collision and collapse appeared to be an accident.

During the Baltimore Orioles baseball game, Paul Pastorek, Jeremy Herbert and Garry Kirts from the Maryland Transportation Authority were honoured for their actions in halting bridge traffic and preventing further loss of life.